Pile fabrics



(No Model.) 3Sheets-Sheet 1,

A. GODDARD, L. HIGGINBOTTOM 8:

J. E. SMITH,

T. MANNOOK.

APPARATUS FOR. CUTTING PILE FABRICS. No. 426,076.

Patented Apr. 22

INVENIEIFLS.

M Ma/M War/g m: mourns PETERS cm, mum-mum, w-smncwu, o. c,

(No Model.) 3Sheets--Sheet 2.

ODDARD. L. HIGGINBOTTOM 8; T. MANNOOK.

J. E. SMITH, A. G

APPARATUS FOR OUTTING PILE FABRICS. No. 426,076. Patented-Apr. 22, 1890.

cams PQTEIS co, rum-04mm Wl-SMINGTOK, u. c

(No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 8. J. E. SMITH. A. GODDARD. L. HIGGINBOTTOM &

T. MANNOGK. Y APPARATUS FOR CUTTING PILE FABRIGS.

vN0. 426,07. Patented Apr. 22.. 1890.

A Hay/f5 5 72 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES HOYLE SMITH, OF LON GSIGHT, MANCHESTER, COUNTY OF LANCASTER, ANDRETV GODDARD, OF STOCKPORT, COUNTY OF CHESTER, AND LLOYD IlIG-GINBOTTOM AND THOMAS MANNOCK, OF LONGSIGIIT, MANCHESTER, COUNTY OF LANCASTER, ENGLAND.

APPARATUS FOR CUTTING PILE FABRICS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N 0. 426,076, dated April 22, 1890.

Application filed September 27, 1887. Serial No. 250,830. (No model.) Patented in England August 22,1887, No. 11,437.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, JAMES IIOYLE SMITH, a subject of the Queen of Great Britain, residing at Longsight, Manchester, in the county of Lancaster, England, ANDREW Gonnnnna subject of the Queen of Great Britain, residing at Stockport, in the county of Chester, England, LLOYD IIIGGINBOTTOM, a subject of the Queen of Great Britain,residing at Longto sight, Manchester, in the county of Lancaster, England, and THOMAS MANNOCK, a subject of the Queen of Great Britain, residing at Longsight, Manchester, in the county of Lancaster, England, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Apparatus for Cutting Pile Fabrics, (for which we have obtained Letters Patent of Great Britain, No. 11,437, dated August 22, 1887;) and we do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which form part of this specification.

The object of our invention is to provide improved apparatus for cutting the pile of velvets, fustians, plushes, and other pile fabrics, such apparatus consisting of an improved form of machine upon which the said fabric is held or supported.

Our said improved machine is constructed to be driven by power.

In the ordinary method of cutting pile fabrics the fabric is stretched on a fixed frame, while the knife is held by the operator and traversed along the fabric. By this means only a short length can be cut at a time, (usually not more than two yards,) while the cutting speed is necessarily slow.

In our improved machine we stretch the fabric upon a frame somewhat similar to the ordinary hand-frame, but of much greater length. This frame is supported upon rollers or slides, and is capable of being moved in such a Way that while the knife is held in the hand the frame and fabric move past the knife and under the hand, thus enabling a much longer length of cloth to be cut at one operation. and saving the labor of pushing the knife along. The frame is drawn toward nected to the frame by cords or belts, and forced into contact with a constantly-revolving pulley by means of a lever, in which the axle of the said friction-roller is pivoted.

by springs. A powerful brake is provided to act either upon the frame or upon the driving-roller and enable the machine to be stopped, either in the event of the knife required for any other reason.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a partial sectional elevation, and Fig. 2 is a partial plan, of our improved machine conout our invention for cutting pile fabrics, and arranged to be worked by power. F1g. 3 is a partial. sectional elevation, and Fig. i is a partial plan, of the details of the drivingbackward traverse upon the rails B B upon the flanged wheels C C, journaled in the carriage A A. The rails B B are affixed to longitudinal timbers B B, supported on posts on the timbers B B", and carries the drivinggear and brake mechanism, which are con-' structed as follows: A shaft F, journaled 011 the frame E E and provided with a pulley F,

by the arrow, from any convenient source of power by the belt F and has a friction-pulley H keyed upon it. A shaft J is journaled at one end. in a bearing K on the frame E, and

is pivotedto the frame E at L. A drum M, carrying at one end a friction-roller M and at the other end a brake-drum M is keyed the knife by means of a friction-roller eon- The return movement of the frame is eifected breaking or going through the clot-11,01 when structed according to one method of carrying gear and brake mechanism on an enlarged 7c carriage or frame capable of forward and D D. A frame E E is affixed about midway S 5 is constantly driven in one direction, as shown at the other end in a lever L, which said lever upon the shaft J. The carriage A is connected to the drum M by means of two cords or ropes N N. One end of each cord is fixed to the respective ends of the carriage, and the other ends of the cords are fixed to and wound round the drum M in opposite directions, as shown in Fig. 2. A treadle-lever P is fulcr umed on a standard P and connected by a vertical rod Q, provided with a screw adjustment, with the lever L. Various holes may be provided in the standard P as an additional means of adjustment for the treadle P, as shown in Fig. 1. On depressing the treadle P with the foot the lever L is raised and the friction-pulley M brought into con} tact with. the revolving friction-pulley II. This drives the drum M, which, winding up the cord N, traverses the carriage A along the rails 13, in the direction shown by the arrow, until it strikes the spring-buffers R It. The treadle' P being then or previously released by the foot sufliciently to throw the pulleys M and H out of contact, the reaction of the bu lfers returns the carriage A to the other end of the frame, ready for a repetition of the same movements. The brake-strap S on the brake-drum M is fixed at one end to the frame E and at the other end to the arm T, which is keyed to the rock-shaft T. A weight T is hung on the outer end of an arm T, also keyed on the shaft T. This weight tends to keep the brake always on; but an adjustable stop U is provided on the lever L, so that when the treadle P is depressed the lever T is raised by the stop U and the brake taken off at the same time that the friction-pulleys are broughtinto contact. A. projection U is riveted on the side of the lever T, which engages with a shoulder ona lever V, and so supports the said lever T when it has been pushed up by the stop U on the lever L, as before described, and keeps the brake off. This lever V is pivoted on the frame E at V and has a weight V hung from one end, while the other end is connected by a link V with the end of lever L. \Vhile the lever T is supported on the shoulder of the lever V the brake is off and the carriage is at liberty to be thrown back by the reaction of the spring-buffers R, as before described; but when the carriage A reaches the end of its return traverse a stop a on the said carriage strikes the lever V, forcing it down, withdrawing the aforesaid shoulder from under the projection U, and so releasing the lever T, which then falls down and applies the brake and brings the carriage to a standstill. When, through the knife breaking, or for any other cause, it is desired to arrest the motion of the carriage A at any intermediate point, the attendant, by taking his foot completely off the treadle P, allows the lever L to fall, and by means of the link V to depress the lever V and bring on the brake, as before described.

The fabric is indicated by the dotted lines WIV WW, W representing the length being cut, IV the uncut, and V7 the cut portion.

aeaove Split rollers XX are provided on the carriage A to grip the fabric, which is tightly stretched between them. Slopingboards YY are fixed on the carriage A, over which the fabric is stretched, and the length to be operated upon is that contained between the upper edges of the said boards. A sloping table Z is fixed on the frame 13, under which the fabric passes close to the lower edge thereof, and the operator rests the handle of the cutting-knife upon the said table.

In the modified form of our power-machine shown in Fig. 5, instead of tightening the cloth on the carriage A, as before described, we mount loose rollers 1 and'2' on each end of the said carriage, and underneath the table Z on the frame 13 we fix two tightening-rollers 3 and 4, and at the extreme ends of the said frame two other ti ghtening-rollers 5 and 6, such tightening-rollers being similar to those 'shown at X X in Figs. 1 and 2, or of any other suitable construction. If, now, the fabric W to be cut is firmly held at each end by the tightening-rollers 3 5 and 4 6, while the rollers l and 2 are at liberty to revolve, it is evident that by sliding the carriage A, as before described in reference to Figs, 1, 2, 3, and 4, the fabric will be caused to move under the knife at double the velocity of the carriage,

and that double the length of fabric will be cut at each stroke.

In our improved power machine much longer lengths of cloth may easily be cut at a time than is possible on the ordinary fixed frame, thus greatly reducing the number of faults in a given length of fabric, and consequently enhancing its value, While the speed at which we are able to drive the machine enables a greatly-increased quantity of work to be done in a given time.

WVe wish it to be understood that in carrying out our invention in practice We do not necessarily confine ourselves to the precise methods of traversing the carriage A or of operating the brake, as shown in the accompanying drawings, as such methods may be varied in the manner described in the previous part of this specification; nor in other respects to the precise details of construction shown in the said drawings, provided that in all cases the essential principles of our invention be retained; but

What we claim as our invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a machine for cutting pile fabrics, the combination, with the main frame,a movable frame to support the stretched fabric, and mechanism, substantially as described, for imparting motion to said frame, of a stationary support for the cutting-knife mounted on the main frame above the movable frame, substantially as described.

2. In a machine for cutting pile fabrics, the combination,with the main frame, a movable fabric-supporting frame mounted thereon, and mechanism, substantially as described, for moving said frame, of the rollers 1 2,

mounted on said movable frame, the rollers 3 4, attached to the main frame near the middle portion thereof, and the rollers 5 6, mounted on said main frame at the ends thereof.

3. I11 a machine for cutting pile fabrics, the combination, with the main frame, the movable fabric-supporting frame mounted thereon, the rotating shaft J, pulley M mounted thereon, pulley-drum M, friction-pulley h pulley-shaft F, pulley II, and cords N N, of the brake mechanism, consisting of the arms P Q T, shaft T, arm T strap S, adjustable block U, and Weight T and lever L, substantially as described.

4. In a machine for cutting pile fabrics, the combination, With a movable frame and mechanism, substantially as described, for imparting movement to said frame, said mechanism comprising a revolving power-shaft, pulleys H M, a loose pulley-drum, and cords surrounding said pulley-drum and connected to said movable frame, of the latching and unlatching mechanism, consisting of the pivoted levers L V, link. V depondin g Weight V and the brake mechanism, comprising the strap S, lever T, weight T shaft T, arm T and stop U, substantially as shown and described.

In testimony that we claim the foregoing We have hereunto set our hands this 13th day of September, 1887.

JAMES HOYLE SMITH. ANDREW GODDARD. LLOYD HIGGINBOTTOM. THOMAS MANNOCK. WVitnesses:

WILLIAM GIBBONs, HARRY CLEGG. 

